Luzhou-Mond - Kapitel 151
Preparations for the New Year were in full swing both inside and outside the palace. Zi Nuo hadn't returned since going to court that morning; in fact, this was typical of Zi Nuo's life, with very little free time. The Golden Sparrow King had entrusted him with far too many tasks. Although Zi Nuo felt sorry for him, there was nothing he could do to help.
The most leisurely people in Xiyang Palace are probably the group of us who returned from Qiuyang Valley. Ruosheng was originally a first-class palace maid in Xiyang Palace. Apart from the head female official Yan Yu, Ruosheng was the most senior. Because Ruosheng left the palace to accompany me, the Imperial Household Department reassigned a high-ranking palace maid to Xiyang Palace. So when Ruosheng returned, she didn't have any specific things to do and spent her days by my side.
Thinking of Ruosheng's situation, Chu Chen couldn't help but tease her, "Look, when Aunt Ruosheng was away from the palace for a while, her position was taken by someone else. Once you leave those friends, when you go back, they will definitely recognize someone else as their leader."
Chu Chen immediately became anxious upon hearing this, insisting on returning to Qiuyang Valley, saying that there was no fun snow in the palace and it was too boring. Gan Lin rolled her eyes at me, the culprit, and said irritably, "Are you really that carefree? Now you're the one to coax me."
I laughed and hugged Ruosheng beside me: "Chenchen is yours now. I'll comfort Ruosheng. Now Ruosheng is the real victim." As I spoke, I pulled Ruosheng towards the palace exit. Ganlin helplessly picked up Chuchen, playing with him and vowing that even if someone else took Chuchen's place, he would help him get it back. Only then did Chuchen stop crying and start smiling.
Exhausted and covered in sweat, Gan Lin put down Chu Chen, but still couldn't help but scold me: "You even tease children, that's really... immoral."
"I can't have both talent and virtue, or talent and virtue. Otherwise, how would others live?" I argued shamelessly.
Gan Lin chuckled lightly: "Feeling better now?"
Hearing Gan Lin's words, I felt a warm glow in my heart. It turned out that he had seen through my unhappiness after returning from Taiji Hall.
"With you all here, when have I ever been in a bad mood?" There's no need to admit it, lest they ask me why I'm unhappy again.
Gan Lin shook his head, smiled helplessly, but didn't ask anything more.
After playing around for a while, they got a little tired and went back to their side hall to rest. On the way, Ruosheng whispered, "Holy Maiden, I'm back, and my seat has been taken by someone else. I'm not unhappy at all. They didn't cut off my monthly salary, but it saves me a lot of trouble. I don't have to worry about so many things anymore. I'm happy as much as I am. Besides, how can the palace compare to the freedom and joy outside?"
I knew Ruosheng was trying to comfort me, afraid that I would feel guilty about her current status not being what it used to be. Even though she was telling the truth, I still felt even more guilty.
After spending two more days in Xiyang Palace, Xiao Wan still hadn't come over. Zi Nuo almost always returned to the palace just before bedtime, so I didn't feel comfortable asking him anything. I could only ask Ruo Sheng to help me choose a gift before going to Zhiyang Palace.
Upon seeing me, the palace maids of Zhiyang Palace were quite surprised. They hurriedly ran inside to inform Ziling and led me to sit down in the flower hall. After waiting for a while, I heard the soft sound of the beaded curtain clattering, and Ziling appeared before me with Xiaowan.
"So the Holy Maiden has returned to the palace." Zi Ling smiled, but there was a faint distance in her eyes. Although I was not familiar with her, and even if we had contact, it was because of Gan Lin, but I had never felt this way before.
"Yes, I've been back for three days. Since I just got back, I had a lot of things to organize, so I only had time to come and see you today—Xiao Wan." Did they really not know I was back in the palace?
Hearing me call her, Xiao Wan hesitated for a moment before calling out, "Auntie."
"His Highness Luoyang was worried you'd be lonely in Xiyang Palace, so he sent you to Zhiyang Palace to keep Princess Ziling company. Now that your aunt is back, go back to Xiyang Palace. Chenchen misses his sister too," I said, holding Xiaowan's hand with a smile. It had been some time since I'd last seen her, and the little girl had blossomed into an even more beautiful young woman.
To my surprise, Xiao Wan gently pulled her hand away from mine, biting her pink lips. Her gaze towards me held a mixture of grievance and resentment, and... a hint of bitterness. "Holy Maiden, His Highness Luo Yang has decreed that Mo Xiao Wan is forbidden from entering Xi Yang Palace again."
Xiao Wan's tone was icy, and the word "Holy Maiden" pierced my heart like a sharp knife, yet I was filled with incomprehension.
Zi Ling chuckled lightly, and the sarcasm in her laughter made me even more uneasy: "The Holy Maiden is truly skilled. Forgive Zi Ling for being so blind."
"What do you mean by that, Princess?" I asked myself. I had never wronged her, except for promising to help match her with Gan Lin, but the result was not as expected.
Zi Ling picked up the hot tea on the table, scraped the fragrant flowers floating on the surface with the lid, but didn't drink it. Her expression was just like those palace women seen on television, all her former carefree and unrestrained spirit gone. "Does the Holy Maiden know what Guard Gan said to me on Mount Biluo?" Zi Ling's eyes curved into a smile, but there was no laughter in them. "Guard Gan said that in his entire life, he had only ever loved one person, and that was the Holy Maiden, you. He told me not to waste my energy on him anymore. How ridiculous that I treated you as a favorite of Guard Gan, not knowing that I was like a clown, trying to curry favor with him in front of you! The Holy Maiden must have seen quite a few laughs back then, right?"
Indeed, I know Gan Lin's feelings for me, and that's why I hope he can forget me and have a relationship with Zi Ling. I sincerely hope they can have a happy ending, so why would I want to watch them make a fool of themselves?
However, Zi Ling saw things differently. Gan Lin, he really cut off all my escape routes so completely, how can I feel at ease?
Seeing my pale face, Ruosheng was about to take me back to Xiyang Palace. Ziling, however, said, "Don't you want to know why Xiaowan is here?"
"Why?" He had a vague idea in his mind, but he still asked the question.
"She was only in love with Prince Luoyang, yet she was banished from Xiyang Palace, all because of you, Holy Maiden." Ziling emphasized the word "Holy Maiden." This was probably why Xiaowan didn't want to leave the palace. Staying in the palace would have given her far more opportunities to see Zinuo. But Zinuo, knowing her feelings, sent her out of Xiyang Palace, hoping to sever her hopes.
Xiao Wan is fourteen years old now, just at the age when she's starting to fall in love. How many men could resist a man like Zi Nuo? Especially someone like Xiao Wan, with whom he spends almost every day?
The two women in front of me, one was someone I once thought highly of, and the other was one of my few remaining relatives, are now looking at me with such eyes. Who is to blame?
Before leaving, he said to Xiaowan, "You're still young and don't understand some things. Love is the most tormenting thing. You may feel resentment now, but you'll understand later. His Highness is doing this for your own good, not wanting to delay you." A short, sharp pain is worse than a long, drawn-out one. But can I use this tactic on Zinuo?
After leaving Zhiyang Palace, I asked Ruosheng beside me, "What exactly happened with Xiaowan? You must have heard something after you came back, right?" Zinuo didn't say, and I didn't ask. Ruosheng often interacted with those palace maids; the people in Xiyang Palace wouldn't be unaware of what had happened. If it were just because Xiaowan had feelings for Zinuo, Zinuo wouldn't have gone so far as to not let her stay in Xiyang Palace anymore. After all, she was my blood relative. It's just that I don't know how much of that kinship still exists now. Come to think of it, I've only spent a few months with Xiaowan, and because she seemed so sensible, I've focused most of my energy on Chuchen. That was my negligence.
Ruosheng frowned, as if preparing her words. After a while, she said, "Ruosheng does know some of the general situation, but the palace servants are not very clear about the specifics. They only know that Miss Wan came out of His Highness's bedchamber crying that night, and was sent to Zhiyang Palace the next day. Before that, Miss Wan and Princess Ziling had met a few times."
After a pause, Ruosheng continued, "Ruosheng didn't tell the Holy Maiden because she was afraid the Holy Maiden would be angry. After all, it's not a good thing for Miss Wan to enter His Highness's bedchamber without permission, so I didn't say anything to the Holy Maiden. Besides, I know the Holy Maiden will come to see Miss Wan, so it's much better for her to say it herself than for Ruosheng to say what she heard."
After Ruosheng finished speaking, she stared at me intently. I couldn't help but laugh and say, "Alright, I'm not angry, and I won't blame you."
Ruosheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn. Chapter 132
Chapter word count: 3790 Update time: 09-09-20 15:13
Zinuo came back at dinner. When she saw me, her eyes darted away.
She ladled a bowl of soup and placed it in front of Zinuo, then smiled and said, "I went to see Xiaowan today."
Zinuo took a sip of soup and mumbled, "I know."
I understand that he knows everything that happens in the palace. But what I want to ask is, is there a reason, like Ruosheng's, for not telling me?
“Princess Ziling visited her and, I don’t know what she said to her, corrupted her,” Zi Nuo said.
He couldn't help but scoff: "Then why did you send her to Princess Ziling?"
“She doesn’t want to leave the palace. There’s nowhere else to go in the palace except there.”
Hearing this, I felt a pang of sadness. Of all the places I've been in the palace, only three are truly safe havens, and this Xiyang Palace is the only one I can feel somewhat at ease in. If I'm in such a state, Xiao Wan must have nowhere else to go. Regardless, Zinuo's arrangements are still good, aren't they? I can't possibly expect Zinuo to keep someone he doesn't like by his side, even though I also hope he can find someone he can truly be with.
On New Year's Eve, dressed in his finest attire, he went with Zi Nuo to the Wenhua Pavilion for a banquet. The court officials and members of the royal family were all gathered together, making it a very lively occasion.
Since it wasn't a formal banquet like the one held on the day of the Holy Sacrifice, I wasn't seated with the Imperial Preceptor and Shao Yuan. Instead, I sat next to Zi Nuo. Prince Luo Chen cast an ambiguous glance my way. They had been speculating about my relationship with Zi Nuo for a long time, and Zi Nuo certainly thought so too. I was now cooperating without resistance. I smiled slightly at Prince Luo Chen and quietly sat to the side, waiting for the banquet to begin.